Mr Monk's losing it again
by AmbrielleReynolds
Summary: takes place two years later and Monk meets an old enemy who tries to kill him but misses his original target, instead he kills him in another way... tragic story t for possibly later
1. Not Again

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Monk or any of its characters you know the drill

Just a sad story . . . sorry they can't all be happy though. Um review if you want me to continue.

**Not Again**

It had been almost two years . . . two years since he and Natalie had married. Even longer had been the distance between him seeing the man who stood in front of him holding a gun in the air aimed his direction. Monk was standing on the front porch of his home that he treasured mostly because of the people who lived there with him. His beautiful wife, whom he had finally realized he couldn't live without and that Trudy wanted him to move on and be happy, and his daughter Julie, whom he had adopted after he and Natalie had gotten engaged. There was one more special person living in that house too, and that was their unborn baby. Natalie was 33 weeks pregnant with a beautiful baby girl and while it hadn't been planned Monk had never been happier. His only regret was not having a child with Trudy when they had discussed it so long ago. However, he thought it had probably been for the best due to her death not terribly long after that discussion. That child would have been without a mother for some time and him for a father. Although he had mellowed since falling in love with Natalie, he had been a wreck right after the bomb that killed his beloved and knew he was no where near qualified at the time to take care of another life when he was too emotional to care for himself.

Bringing himself out of his thoughts, he wondered why this evil man who he knew wanted him dead had been able to find him and been let free. It was astounding to him and his life was flashing before his eyes, seeing all its wonderful and terrible moments as the gunman raised and aimed the barrel of the gun. Adrian winced and closed his eyes knowing a shot was coming, and he heard the shot ring through the night and he heard glass shatter but he felt no pain. He assumed he must be dead but he was afraid to open his eyes fearing what picture might lie in front of him. He still had some fears and one was seeing himself dead; oddly so but also a justified fear. He reached up and felt his face just as the familiar voice of the Captain questioned the action. At the familiar tone Monk opened his eyes to see he was still standing there and his attempted murderer was on the ground in handcuffs. He had been tackled to the ground just as he fired the gun saving Monk's life. Monk began questioning the Captain about how he had gotten there so quickly and so on as he watched the man be put in the back of a patrol car and finally taken away. After all the cops had left Adrian walked back inside slightly shaken but trying not to appear so to keep Natalie from panicking. He expected that since it was past ten o'clock by now both girls would be in bed so he put away his coat in the hall closet and started up the steps when he caught a glance of the baby blue night gown he had seen Natalie wearing that evening in a heap on the living room floor. Panicking slightly he jumped down from the three or so stairs he had climbed and rushed around the corner for a better view and if nothing else to ease his mind that all was right and okay.

Unfortunately the scene that greeted Monk as he entered the room was not comforting. Natalie was lying in a heap on the ground, in a puddle of blood. He rushed to her side grabbing the phone off the side table and tried to wake her from her unconscious state while simultaneously dialing emergency services. He gently rolled her body onto its back and felt for a pulse on the wrist. Her arm was cold and though he felt an extremely faint pulse he knew that the situation was critical. He was losing it all over again like he had with Trudy, but he tried to think rationally. How long had it been since she was shot, he wondered, twenty minutes or so he gathered. He questioned why he hadn't come inside sooner to check on her and why the bullet hadn't just hit him instead of going astray and possibly killing the other woman he had grown to love. Why him? He thought. Questioned rang in his ears one million miles per hour before the operator picked up on the other end of the phone. Monk could barely get out the information and plea for help before going hysterical and turning his attention to his dying wife and unborn child. He wasn't as worried about the baby as he was about Natalie, knowing he would blame himself forever however if anything happened to either one. He put pressure on the bullet wound to stop the bleeding, but its location in the lower right chest was making it difficult and seeing and feeling Natalie grow colder as precious seconds ticked by was almost more than Monk could handle. . .

-Okay so if you couldn't already tell this is probably going to be a tragedy and I don't even know if it is any good. I realize that it is slightly unrealistic with the marriage thing but hey its my imagination and I need a name for the villain if anyone has ideas . . . if you want me to continue that is. Please review and give criticism I can handle it and im open to suggestions.-


	2. Finally Arrived

It seemed like he had been holding Natalie's lifeless body for an eternity before finally hearing the blaring of the ambulance. Julie was still sleeping upstairs and Monk didn't want her to wake up but he also wanted to shout for help. He stayed quite though for fear that Julie wouldn't be able to handle seeing her mother dying in his arms. As the sirens grew louder, Monk became even more anxious. It had been almost forty minutes since Natalie had been hit by the stray bullet that could certainly end her life and the life of the child she was carrying. Monk wasn't even sure she was still alive but he couldn't give up hope. All he could do was hold her in his arms and try his best to keep pressure on the wound.

Finally he saw the lights shining through the windows signaling the ambulance had arrived. Doors slammed and he heard scrambling before two paramedics came bursting through the front door. Bags in hand and equipment Monk couldn't even begin to recognize, they rushed to his side and took over Natalie's care. One took her pulse and blood pressure while asking Monk endless questions about the situation while the other got out what looked to be an oxygen mask and some other cords that Monk assumed would be hooked to his wife in some way. From behind him a third paramedic wheeled in a stretcher. They wouldn't tell him much about her condition. They mainly talked and barked orders amongst themselves, but from listening Monk could tell that Natalie didn't have a pulse anymore and still wasn't breathing. It looked bad. The paramedics got out a deliberator and shocked her heart but nothing happened. Again they shocked it and this time a feint pulse returned. Monk was relieved even at this small victory but he knew Natalie was not even close to out of the woods.

While they lifted her frail body onto the stretcher, he looked on with sadness. He debated what to do about leaving Julie but decided that at seventeen she would be fine alone and he would send the captain to pick her up later. He didn't want her to have to see her mother this way. Natalie was wheeled out and Monk followed closing the door behind him and looking back once more at all his happiness falling apart in front of his eyes. They all piled into the ambulance and headed toward the hospital at top speed. All Monk could think about was I hope it isn't to late…


	3. Left Behind

A/N: Okay yeah I know I kind of fell off the face of the earth…sorry about that guys. And I just got on yesterday for the first time in a while and decided to write a little something. I know it wasn't that long and neither is this one but hey it was better than nothing right? Haha…anyway yeah I really am going to try to get back into this story so here we go.

Oh yeah of course I don't own Monk…

In the last hour Monk's entire life seemed to fall down around him. All the happiness he had finally found was in jeopardy and it was all thanks to Hank Riley. Monk wanted more than anything to kill that man or at least make him suffer like he was. Tears slid gently down his cheek as he thought about all the things he would do to that man if he were able. The sudden horn of the ambulance brought his attention back to his wife. It was so hard to see her bleeding; he knew if she were conscious she would be in terrible pain. One of the paramedics turned to him and spoke, "We have radioed the hospital and they have an operating room ready for your wife once we arrive. They want to deliver the baby immediately by c-section because it has a better chance of survival outside the womb at this point. You won't be able to be in the room, I am sorry. Also, while they are in there they will try to close the bullet wound, but I have to tell you it doesn't look good. She has lost nearly all her blood and her chances of survival are maybe twenty percent maximum. I know this is hard to hear but I would hate to give you any false hope." Monk felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him. Natalie was going to die. He had always been a pessimist; it was Natalie who was the positive one and he just knew he was going to lose her. Even worse, the baby, if it survived, would have no mother and him for a father. All these thoughts swirled in his mind while the monitors beeped signaling he hadn't lost her yet. He reached out and held the hand of the woman he loved thinking this could be last time he ever would.

It seemed like the ambulance ride lasted forever, but finally they came to a stop and everyone hopped into action again. More people opened the back doors and in a whirlwind moved Natalie and continued talking amongst themselves about her condition. They hurried the stretcher toward the door while Monk tried to keep up. They came to a bright corridor and double doors. Everyone barreled through them but someone turned to stop Monk from continuing. "I'm sorry sir but you can't go any further. I know this is hard but they will do everything they can for her and the baby," she said. With that she turned and followed the group leaving a shattered man to cry alone. He sat down against the wall and buried his head in his hands. A nurse came around the corner and came to talk to him. She saw how devastated Monk looked and got down to his level. "Sir, would you like to talk." He looked up at her with her friendly face and bright smile. Finally he agreed it might help so she reached out her hand and helped him to his feet. "Come with me," she said and with that he followed her to a little room with chairs and a small table.


	4. The past and Julie

A/N: Okay so tried to make this one a little longer and provide a little background since you asked for it and thanks for the name suggestion…anyway I really want more people to review it because I know people are reading it its just nice to get some feedback and plus I want to know if there is a certain direction you guys want it to go! Okay so review please or I won't think its good so I won't add on…PLEASE! haha

Don't Own Monk…DUH!

Monk took a seat at the table and looked down with despair. The nurse took a seat across from him and reached out to him putting her hand on his arm. He continued to cry even though he hated being seen in such a mess. "I'm Carrie by the way" the nurse said. "Adrian" he mumbled back. "Okay Adrian, do you want to talk about what happened with your wife?" she pressed. "Not really," he admitted, "but I am going to anyway." Carrie nodded understanding where he was coming from. "Well," he began, "it all started years ago when I solved Natalie's case, I am a detective you see, and then she became my assistant. I lost my first wife Trudy to a car bomb and never thought I would love anyone again but the more time I spent with Natalie the more I came to love her. Anyway, about four years ago I had this really difficult case that I thought I would never crack. A man name Hank Riley murdered his three children and blamed it on his wife. All the evidence pointed to her too but I knew he was guilty. I just couldn't prove it. Finally I figured it out and he was arrested but he vowed to get revenge. I didn't think much of it since he would be in prison for a long time but somehow the prison he was at got all their records mixed up and let him out instead of another man. Of course he came looking for me and found me at my home earlier this evening. He would have killed me too if my police friends hadn't caught the mistake and come looking for him. They found him just as he shot one bullet from his gun. It should have hit me but the Captain tackled Riley to the floor as he took the shot so it went astray." Carrie was just listening to the vivid story when Monk really started to break down. Through sobs he continued, "It…it went through the window and…and it hit her, it hit Natalie. Why? Why is this happening to me again? I should've come back inside to check on her right away…I should have but I thought that she would be in bed. I…I should have been there to protect her. That bullet should have hit me and I should be the one fighting for my life or dead right now." Carrie got up and came around to hug him. "Adrian, this isn't your fault. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." She reasoned, but Monk wasn't listening. "She and Julie and that baby girl are the most precious things in my life and I might lose her and my daughter." He sobbed. "Well I pray that doesn't happen…tell me about your family Adrian, think about happy times." Carrie tried.

"I remember the day Natalie told me she was pregnant," he said reminiscing, "We never planned on having any children together. It was just me and her with her daughter Julie, whom I had adopted once we got engaged and we were happy with our family. Plus its not like I am young anymore so a baby wasn't really on the agenda, it just kind of happened. She came home from what she said were errands but I knew she hadn't just been running errands being a detective and all. I asked her what was really going on but she insisted nothing. Anyway, over the next week or so I noticed some changes with her, like she wore clothing that was a little big and her appetite wasn't as good as normal. So after thinking about it I figured it out and confronted her. Right there at dinner in front of Julie and everything I said Natalie, you're pregnant aren't you. She was absolutely shocked that I knew but admitted it right away and I grabbed her and hugged her so tight. She thought I would be upset or afraid which I was a little nervous but a baby would complete our family even more I knew." Having finished his story of the past and having forgotten about the terrible situation before him he almost smiled at the memory. "That is very touching Adrian, I hope you get your happy and completed family once all this is over." Carrie said. Then he remembered Natalie was dying or possibly already dead and he began to cry once more. Carrie got up from the table. "I have to get back to work Adrian, I'm sorry about your wife and I hope she and your daughter are okay." Adrian got up too and followed her until he reached a large waiting room. He sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in a corner and buried his face again. It had been a little over an hour since his arrival at the hospital and there was still nothing he had heard. He knew he should call Leland but he was too drained and upset. He would after someone told him what was going on he decided. It was just after midnight and he was exhausted so he leaned back and closed his eyes but sleep was beyond his reach so he just sat there hoping the emotional pain would soon numb him…

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It was still very early in the morning when Julie awoke feeling kind of chilly. She glanced over at her alarm clock where it glowed one thirty a.m. She wasn't really tired even though it was so early but she got out of bed to get a blanket. While she was up she decided that she would go get a little something to drink and maybe a snack thinking it might help her get sleepy again. Wrapping the blanket around her, she made her way down the steps careful not to make any noise because she didn't want to wake her mother and step dad. As she carefully slipped down the stairs she thought about her happy little family. Monk made her mother so happy and Julie really did love him too. He had always been her father figure since they met in a way. She thought about when her mom had found out she was pregnant. Monk didn't know it but Natalie had confided in Julie. Julie was thrilled that she wasn't going to be an only child much longer. Thinking about all this Julie almost forgot what she had come downstairs for. She laughed at herself a little and continued on into the kitchen but stopped dead in her tracks once she rounded the corner to the living room. Even in the darkness Julie could see a dark stain covering part of the rug. Panicked she flipped on the lights revealing the blood stain. Although she wasn't certain Julie had the dreading thought that it was in fact blood and that something very bad had happened here. She saw the phone lying on the floor beside the stain and went to pick it up. Still not sure of what she was seeing she decided to go to her parents room and wake them, but when she reached the room she found it empty with the bed turned down but made neatly as Monk kept it. This sent her over the edge into panic. She raced to her own room and grabbed her cell phone dialing the captain's number hoping he would know something. As the phone dialed his number Julie kept thinking she must be dreaming but thinking very hard she thought she could remember vaguely some commotion from earlier…sirens maybe…? But she couldn't remember; it seemed as though it was just a dream from long ago, not something real. There was a click on the line and then the captain's familiar voice filled her ears. "Hello…Julie?" He asked. "What are you doing up at two in the morning?" "Captain where are my parents?" she begged, "I…I woke up and went downstairs to get a drink and…and I found bl…well what I think is blood." She was starting to cry, afraid of what the Captain might tell her. "Julie, Julie listen to me don't cry…Monk didn't want to wake you…he," Captain paused, "he…well uh ill be there in a minute, okay?" "Why can't you tell me now? What happened? Please…" Julie said feeling in the dark. "I'll explain once I get there. Please just get dressed and be ready to leave when I get there…I will be there in ten minutes." The Captain insisted. Julie was about to argue but she heard another click and he was gone. She was so confused but decided she should do what he had told her so she went to her dresser and pulled out some jeans and a t-shirt. It was bad she knew otherwise he would have told her over the phone. This wasn't about her baby sister being born it was far worse…plus it was too early for the baby. But what had happened? She pondered everything but the fact that there was blood…what looked like a lot of blood was not a good sign. And she began to expect the worst news possible…


	5. The Truth Hurts

A/N: Thanks for the reviews…remember keep them coming haha…anyway I don't know how this story is going to end up because I really can't decide yet. Decisions, decisions lol…I know I sort of switched to Julie's point of view but it will flip flop back and forth

a lot and sorry if my grammar isn't that great it never was my strong point plus it is really annoying to do the proper dialogue marks…but I guess I will try harder.

Disclaimer: Yeah we all know the drill I don't own Monk

Julie sat in her living room watching the clock on the wall. Time seemed to be crawling, if that, and she was anxious to know what was going on. Her mind was reeling with questions and she felt like her heart was going to explode. Although she dreaded what the captain might say she was anxious to know.

What to her was an eternity later, a knock finally came to the door. She walked over and answered the door to find the Captain looking tired and upset. She even thought he might have been crying and this scared her even more. "Are you ready? I'll explain on the way," he managed. "But…where are we going?" Julie returned. "Uh…," Leland hesitated, "Julie there is no easy way to say this but…your mom…she was shot and she was rushed to the hospital earlier tonight." Leland hated that he was the one who had to break this news but being a cop he had had to break worse news to other people in the past.

Julie just stood there looking blank. She couldn't and didn't believe what she was being told. She couldn't even bring herself to move or speak but she felt as though tears were fixing to spill from her eyes. She didn't know details but judging from the blood she had seen this injury wasn't anything to take lightly. Suddenly it was as though her legs stopped working and she fell to the ground right there at the door. The tears were now flowing freely and she covered her face in her hands.

Leland got down and tried to comfort her but that wasn't something he was ever very good at. "Julie listen to me…I know this is hard but you need to get up so we can get to the hospital. Please it's going to be okay," he tried. Julie looked up at him and choked, "How do you know? That's just something people tell you to make you feel better. Don't lie to me…how much do you know? How bad is it? What about the baby?" "Please get in the car; we can talk on the way," Leland said afraid he might start to cry too.

She didn't feel like moving but she forced herself to get up and move toward the car. Leland followed closing the door behind him and they were off toward the hospital…

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Julie waited until they were off her street before gathering the courage to speak. Her mind was still filled with so many unanswered questions and she had no idea how to begin. She decided the beginning made the most sense so that's where she began. "What happened? I mean how did my mom get shot?" she asked trying to remain calm saying those awful words. "Well it was a man name Hank Riley. He was seeking revenge on Monk for putting him in prison," the Captain began. Julie interjected, "So to get revenge he decided to try and kill an innocent woman and baby?!"

It was obvious that Julie was becoming angry. "Well…not exactly. See Riley showed up this evening at your house and Monk went outside to talk with him. He pulled a gun and was about to shoot Monk when I tackled him to the ground. He got one shot off as he was tackled and it went through a window. Nobody thought much of it until Monk came back inside to find Natalie in the living room unconscious and bleeding badly," Captain painfully told her.

Julie was crying again. She turned toward him and simply said, "How bad is it? Don't…don't lie to me…please. Am I going to lose my mother too?" "Honestly?" Leland remarked, "Julie it doesn't look good. They took her straight into surgery and um the baby was delivered by cesarean. It's small but doing okay. Natalie is far worse off. Last I heard from Monk the bullet went through her ribs and punctured one of her lungs. They were still trying to repair the damage but she lost a ton of blood and her heart has stopped three times. They said she was lucky to have even stayed alive until the ambulance got there…I…I'm sorry," he finished solemnly.

Julie felt numb. It was like she had been punched in the stomach and pushed down then kicked repeatedly. Her mother was her world and she needed her. Also, now she had a baby sister who needed her mother too. She couldn't die; she just couldn't but Julie could tell from the Captain's odd silence and distance that Natalie's life was hanging on the edge. The rest of the ride was only silence as both thought about how this was going to change their lives forever.

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Monk still sat in the waiting room of the hospital waiting…waiting for any information about his wife or newborn baby. The doctor had come out once and told him that while small, his little girl looked to be a fighter and doing okay in the NICU. Also, he had been frank about how bad off Natalie was. He promised they were doing their best but told Monk her chance of survival was only fifteen percent. Monk had broken down after that. It seemed like an endless cycle and that meeting, in his mind at least, was hours ago.

He had called Leland right after that and told him everything. Even Leland had cried. Natalie was a good friend to him. She was a good friend to everyone and she was always the strong one, but now Monk was playing that role and it unnerved him slightly. All he could do was sit and wait. He wanted to see her and hold her hand and just be there for her.

It was two forty one when Monk looked up to see Julie and the Captain coming his way. Julie's face was tear stained and her eyes looked bloodshot. She ran over to him and hugged him tightly. He needed to be strong for her too so he willed himself not to break down along side her. Julie was crying again and he could feel the tears soaking through his shirt but he didn't let it bother him. He simply let her sit and he held her like any father would…


End file.
